As Allergy Season Arrives, Concerns New Covid Variant May Cause Pinkeye
Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is a common allergy season symptom, but this year there are concerns that Arcturus covid (a.k.a. XBB.1.16) is also causing the same symptom — even though it's not been formally linked to the virus.
The Washington Post:
Pinkeye Cases Rise In Allergy Season. It Might Be A Covid Symptom, Too
Pinkeye — an inflamed, itchy and painful eye — is common during allergy season. But now some doctors are concerned the ailment may also be associated with a new coronavirus subvariant. Health experts say they have not conclusively linked the condition, formally called conjunctivitis, to the subvariant Arcturus. But anecdotal reports suggest the subvariant may produce fever and conjunctivitis, mainly among children. “It’s occurring in the setting where they’ve documented community spread of this virus,” said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. (Bever, 4/21)
CIDRAP:
WHO Elevates XBB.1.16 To Variant Of Interest As Levels Rise In US And Other Countries
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week boosted the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant to a variant of interest (VOI) from a variant under monitoring (VUM), based on the latest assessments from its technical advisory group on virus evolution. (Schnirring, 4/21)
CIDRAP:
Researchers Detect 2 New SARS-CoV-2 Strains On Polish Mink Farms
On two farms, the researchers uncovered two novel SARS-CoV-2 variants most closely related to the B.1.1.307 strain that circulated in humans in late 2020 and early 2021. The new variants, however, had at least 40 polymorphisms, which the authors said suggests that they originated in an unknown or undetected animal reservoir. The mink did not show symptoms. (Van Beusekom, 4/21)
On the vaccine rollout —
CIDRAP:
New Data Show Safety Of Pfizer COVID Vaccine For Teens Ages 12 To 17
Today in Pediatrics researchers published the safety data of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT-162b2) COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17 years. After 1 year, very few serious adverse events were reported, and instances of myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) were lower than initially reported. (Soucheray, 4/21)
NBC News:
CDC Says Tinnitus Not Linked To Covid Vaccines
The CDC claims there is no evidence detailing a link between Covid-19 vaccines and tinnitus. The statement comes after more than 16,000 people who received the vaccine filed complaints with the organization. (Edwards, 4/21)
The Hill:
How Will COVID Shots Be Paid For After Emergency Ends?
while Americans with insurance are still expected to be able to get vaccinated free of charge, questions remain over how those without coverage can obtain them and the ease of the overall process. Moderna and Pfizer, the companies behind the two most commonly administered coronavirus vaccines in the U.S., are expecting the prices of their shots to increase by as much as four-fold but have stated that consumers should not expect to feel the impact themselves, regardless of insurance status. (Choi, 4/23)
More pandemic news —
The Washington Post:
They Endured Covid. But Some Health-Care Workers Mistrust The Future.
More than any other single group, health-care workers bore the brunt of the covid-19 pandemic. In the early days and weeks of the crisis, doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians were hailed as superheroes — immortalized in graffiti and balcony ovations from New York City to Paris and Madrid. But as the months and years passed, the astonishing casualties from covid-19 — more than 1 million lives lost in the United States and nearly 7 million globally — led to exhaustion, burnout and trauma, as well as infection and deaths among front-line workers. Workforce shortages and unrelenting stress added to their hardships, even as the public applause for their contributions faded. (Brooks and Stevenson, 4/22)
USA Today:
Long COVID Crisis Exposes Disability Claims System In Disarray
Marie, who left a corporate job in Missouri after contracting COVID-19 in the first wave and then developing what came to be known as long COVID, received five months of short-term disability through her employer. It was “a life-saver,” she said. But in 2022, she caught COVID again, and this time it’s taken much longer to recover from the long COVID that followed. (Buhl, 4/21)
Stat:
Chronicling The Failures Of The U.S. Response To Covid
A new book on the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic paints a picture of a country ill-prepared to cope with a dangerous biological foe, riven by partisan politics, and led by people who saw little political gain in taking ownership of managing the crisis. (Branswell, 4/24)
The New York Times:
Chinese Censorship Is Quietly Rewriting The Covid-19 Story
Under government pressure, Chinese scientists have retracted studies and withheld or deleted data. The censorship has stymied efforts to understand the virus. (Hvistendahl and Mueller, 4/23)
